That Which Doesn't Wish to Be Found
by Aneko.Inoue
Summary: real summery inside.
1. Prologue

When Winry tags along with Ed and Al as they go to Central to meet with Colonel Mustang, she takes the chance to go and see her childhood friend Chris. But Chris is waiting at Central Headquarters to speak with Colonel Mustang about her brother's research. Ed and Al run into her and she tells them everything she knows about the Philosopher's Stone and where it is. Thus, she joins them on their journey to find the Stone along with her friend Sango, who says that she's the only one who can control Chris when she gets out of control and who also knows information about the Philosopher's Stone.

* * *

RING! RING! RING! RING! 

_Please leave a message after the beep..._

_BEEP!_

"_Hey, Chris, it's me, Winry. How've you been? I heard about what happened and don't worry about it. I'm sure they'll understand. I mean, it was an accident, right? Listen, I'm coming down in a week and thought I might stop by. Okay, well, I'll see you then."_

_BEEP!_

The sun was setting as I lay there in bed. My room was cluttered with books and papers that I had been looking at the day before. I gazed up at the ceiling and watched the sunlight dance across my walls.

"How… how can I tell him…?" I wondered aloud. "How can I tell him the truth if he won't even listen to me?"

I rolled over and buried my face in my pillows. I closed my eyes and tried to think of what I could do to apologize to the only person who could've helped me. After a few minutes of thinking, I decided on a plan and fell asleep.

_**Winry POV**_

I hung up the phone and walked back out to the living room where Ed and Al were talking to each other.

"Did you reach her?" my grandma asked as I sat down in a chair.

"No, but I left her a message." I replied. "I don't know what I'm going to do with that girl! I keep offering for her to stay with us, but she says she doesn't want to. She keeps thinking that he's out there somewhere."

"Who are you talking about Winry?" Al asked.

"A friend of mine down in Central." I answered. "Her parents died around the same time mine did, so her older brother had to take care of her. But Chris's brother became an alchemist and was killed a couple years ago. But she just refuses to believe it."

"That's so sad." Al said. "But why haven't you tried to tell her about her brother?"

"I have, but she just won't listen. She says that he promised that they'd always be together, and she won't believe anything else. I just wish there was something I could do to help her…"

"Don't worry about it too much Winry." Ed said. "Just let her believe what she want's to believe. She'll figure it out eventually."

"I know, but you haven't seen her Ed." I said. "But I'm going to go to Central with you guys when you go back next week."

"What?! Why?" Ed asked.

"Because I want to go check up on her, that's why!" I yelled.

"Why exactly do you need to go and check up on her? It's not like she's in trouble." Ed yelled.

"She'll get in trouble if I don't go and see her!"

Ed hesitated, looking at me with a shocked expression in his eyes.

"Fine, you can come with us." He said defeated.

_I'm sorry Ed, I wish I could tell you more, but I know that it would just put her in more danger if I did._


	2. Central Danger

_**One Week LaterChris POV**_

I stood outside Central Headquarters staring at it with hatred. This was the last place I saw my brother before he left on his mission. Every day at noon, I would wait here, hoping that I could find someone to talk to, hopefully Colonel Mustang. I wanted to tell them what I knew, but it had to be someone that knew my brother.

"Excuse us, but are you waiting for someone?" came a boy's voice behind me.

I turned around to see a short boy with blonde hair held back in a short braid standing next to a moving suit of armor. The boy was wearing a red coat and I saw the gleam of a silver pocket watch. He was a state alchemist.

I turned and ran. "Hey, wait!" the boy called after me as he and the suit of armor followed suit. I ran down an alley and jumped over the fence, hoping I'd loose them, but they kept coming. I ran down the alley, praying that I could outrun them. I turned the corner and ran into a dead end. I turned around and backed up against the wall as they approached.

"Why'd you run from us?" the boy asked. "We're not going to hurt you."

"What more do you people want from me?!" I cried.

"What are you talking about?" the suit of armor asked.

"Haven't you people ruined my life enough?!" I yelled. "You're the reason they're dead!"

"Hey, it's okay." The boy said. "Just calm down… my name's Ed and this is my brother Al."

"My name's… Chris…" I replied.

"What were you doing in front of Central Headquarters?" Al asked.

I looked away from them. "I wanted to talk to one of the people that worked with my brother." I replied. "But it's obvious that they're avoiding me."

"If you want… we can help you get inside." Al suggested. I looked up at him curiously.

"Al, we can't sneak this kid inside! Do you know what would happen if they caught us?!" Ed said.

"But we have to help him." Al replied. "Come on brother, please!"

"Alright, fine, but just this once." Ed said.

_**FF **_

"Ow!"

"Sorry, are you okay?" Al asked.

"Yeah, I've just never been inside a suit of armor before… at least one that's alive." I replied.

"Sh, keep quiet!" Ed whispered.

I fell silent. I heard people talking but didn't recognize any of the voices. Ed and Al walked into a room and sat down on a couch. I curled up as best I could to hide myself from whoever was in the room with us.

"It's nice to see you again Ed." Came a familiar voice.

I carefully peered through the hole below Al's head and saw a man with short black hair and black eyes sitting in a desk in front of us. He was the guy that my brother worked for… Colonel Mustang!

"So, what is it you wanted to see us about?" Ed asked.

"Well, there's actually something I need you to check on for me." Mustang said. "There's a girl that's been causing some trouble in Central recently."

"So? What's that got to do with us?" Ed asked.

"She knows about the Philosopher's Stone." Mustang said in a low voice.

"Keep talking." Ed said with interest.

I sank back into Al's armor. Mustang was talking about me!

"She lives in an old run-down apartment a couple of blocks from here." Mustang continued handing Ed a piece of paper. "Hughes was the one who told me that she knew about the Stone and said you might be interested in helping us out."

"Sure, what do you need?"

"We need you to help us catch her. She's been laying low for a while, but I'm sure she'll start back up soon. She's too good for the police to handle, so I thought maybe you could give it a shot."

"Well, I'll see what I can do." Ed said, pocketing the piece of paper. "And if I can get some information on the Stone, that'd be a bonus."

_Damn! If these guys find out that I'm the one they're looking for—wait a second... this is perfect! If I can tell them what I know, maybe they can help me!_

"That's all. You can go now." Mustang said.

Ed and Al got up and walked out of the room. After a few minutes Al opened up his armor and I climbed out. We were in a deserted hallway not far from Mustang's office.

"Thanks, both of you." I said. "You don't know how much this means to me."

"Well, we gotta get going." Ed said as they started to leave.

"Wait—there's uh, something I wanted to tell you." I said grabbing his sleeve.

Just then a couple of men walked around the corner and saw me. "It's her!" one yelled. "Get her!"

_Crap! This isn't going to be as easy as I thought._ I let go of Ed's sleeve and ran down the hall. I ran around the corner, but saw that I was cornered. I clapped my hands together and pressed them into the floor, causing a giant hole to form. I jumped down into the hole and ran. I saw an open window and quickly jumped out of it. Unfortunately, I was too high up and when I hit the ground, I twisted my right ankle. _Oh well, so much for my plan. I'll just have to wait until my next chance to get inside._

_**Edward POV**_

Chris let go of my sleeve and ran down the hall. He turned the corner, but I saw other men running after him. A second later there was a big explosion. I ran down the hall and saw that there was a giant hole in the floor.

"He's… an alchemist?" I asked surprised.

"Damn, she got away." Came a familiar voice… it was Lt. Colonel Hughes. He turned around and saw us. "Oh, hey Edward, what's up?"

"Where'd that boy go?" I asked.

"Boy?" Hughes asked confused. "That wasn't a boy, that was one of the girls that's been causing us trouble lately."

"That was… a girl?!"

"Yeah, she apparently likes to dress up like a boy. I think it's because she misses her brother."

"So… that's the girl who knows about the Philosopher's Stone? Come on Al!"

_**Winry POV**_

I knocked on the door to Chris' apartment, but she didn't answer. _She must be out._ I thought. I reached down underneath the mat and pulled out the extra key. _I guess I'll just wait for her to get back._

I was about to unlock the door when it opened. It wasn't Chris who answered, but her friend Sango.

"Oh, Winry, it's you." She said sounding a little disappointed. "Please, come in."

I walked into Chris' apartment and sat down on the dusty couch. The place was exactly as I remembered it: dusty, cramped, books and papers scattered everywhere along with a few clothes, and a couple of pictures on the bookshelf.

"So, where's Chris?" I asked as Sango started picking up some of the clothes that were on the floor.

"She's probably just waiting in front of Central Headquarters again." Sango sighed. "She does that just about every single day. She just goes over there and stands in front of the gates, just staring at the building… with that empty look in her eyes."

She dumped the clothes into a laundry basket and started picking up the papers that were scattered across the floor.

"Why are you cleaning up? Won't Chris get upset if everything's moved?" I asked.

She laughed. "No, I always do this. Every day I come in here and clean up her apartment for her. I mean, if I don't do it, surely she won't. I guess it's because I know that she needs me to survive. Besides, we're both researching the same thing, so this way we know where all our papers are."

"Research? Researching on what?"

"Oh that's right, she hasn't told you yet." Sango said placing the papers on top of the desk in the corner. "We're trying to finish our parents' research on the Philosopher's Stone."

_**Chris POV**_

I limped through an alley way that took me back to my apartment. There was a boy about a year or two older than me standing at the end of the alley way. When I approached him, he stood in front of me, blocking my path.

"Excuse me, I'm just passing through." I said.

"I know, but I just want to have a little talk first." He said in a cool voice.

I was a little nervous because we were all alone in the alley, but something told me that I should at least hear him out.

"Okay, you've got ten minutes." I said.

_**Edward POV**_

"Man, where'd Winry go? We said we'd meet back up at the station." I sighed.

"Maybe she lost track of time." Al suggested.

Just then, Winry came running around the corner. She saw us and ran up to us.

"There you are! I was looking everywhere for you two!" she gasped as she caught her breath.

"What is it Winry?" Al asked.

"My friend… the one I was telling you about—she knows about the Philosopher's Stone!"

"Wait—Chris is your friend, right? Why didn't you tell us that she knew about the Stone earlier?!" I yelled.

"Because I just found out idiot!!" Winry yelled back. "Now come on, we've got to find her!"

"Why? I thought you said you knew where she lives?" I asked.

"I do, but she's not there. Apparently everyone in Central Headquarters is trying to capture her when all she's done is try to find more information on the Stone."

"Winry!" a girl with long wavy hair called as she ran around the corner. "Winry, we've got a problem!"

"Who's that?" Al asked.

"That's Chris's friend." Winry said as we ran over to the girl. "What is it Sango?"

"This boy said that there's someone looking for Chris!" Sango said gesturing to a little boy beside her.

"What?! Who?" Winry asked.

"I don't know who he is, but he's got long dark green hair and eyes." The boy said. "He said that he wanted to talk to Chris about something important."

"When was this?"

"About twenty minutes ago."

"Damn, come on, let's go! We've gotta find her!"

_**Chris POV**_

"So you want to know about the Philosopher's Stone?" I asked. "What do I get in exchange?"

"I heard that you have a brother who's been missing for a couple years." Envy said. "Do you have a picture of him?"

"Yeah, here." I said handing him the picture of my brother that I kept with me all the time.

He looked at the picture and smiled. "It's funny. I just found a guy who said that he was trying to find his little sister. He might just be your brother."

"Really? You know Tasuku?" I asked as he handed me back my picture.

"Yeah, I think that's what he said his name was." Envy replied. "How about it? You tell me what I need to know and I'll go get your brother for you."

"Deal! But first let me meet my brother!"

"Just wait right here, I'll go get him."

He walked around the corner and I leaned against the wall, clutching my twisted ankle. _If it really is Tasuku, I'll tell that Envy guy what he wants to know, but if it's not... I could be in trouble._ A few minutes later, a familiar guy with short black hair and brown eyes walked around the corner.

"Chris?" he asked.

My eyes widened and my heart skipped a beat.

"Tasuku…?"

He nodded and gave me a smile.

"Tasuku!!" I cried, flinging my arms around his neck. "Oh I knew you were still alive, I just knew it!"

"I missed you too, Chris." Tasuku said setting me down on the ground. "Now, what's this I hear about researching the Philosopher's Stone?"

"When you didn't come back I started to finish the research that mom and dad started." I said. "I thought that if I found enough research for it, I could find you… since you went off to look for it in the first place."

"Chris!"

I spun around to see Ed, Al, Winry, and Sango running toward me. They say Tasuku and froze.

"What the…?" Winry exclaimed.

"It can't be… that's impossible…" Sango gasped.

"Who the hell are you?" Ed asked.

"That's… Tasuku." Winry said.

"Isn't he the dead brother you told us about?" Al asked.  
Winry nodded. "That's why this doesn't make any sense… he's supposed to be dead…"

"I told you!" I said. "I told you that he was still alive!"

"If that's really Tasuku, where has he been for the past nine years?" Winry asked.

"He's been searching for the Stone!" I yelled. "Right, Tasuku? Tell them—tell them you were searching for the Stone!" Tasuku didn't say anything. He just smiled as he looked at Ed and Al. "Tasuku…?

"That's not Tasuku…" Ed said in a low voice.

"That's right pipsqueak." Tasuku said.

He wrapped his arm around my neck, making it hard for me to breathe. I blinked and when I looked up at him, it wasn't Tasuku anymore, but Envy that was strangling me.

"Come one step closer, and this girl will die." Envy said.

"Why are you doing this?!" Sango asked.

"It's because of her knowledge of the Philosopher's Stone." Ed said. "Don't worry, he won't kill her… he needs her information on the Stone."

"Don't sound so sure of yourself." Envy said. "I don't care if this girl dies. I'll just find someone else who knows about the Stone."

"She doesn't know much about the Stone!" Sango exclaimed. "Please just let her go! I'll—"

"Don't you _**DARE**_ finish that sentence Sango!" I yelled faintly. "I can… take care of myself… I don't… I don't need you… to take care of me ANYMORE!" I slammed my left foot on Envy's and rammed my right arm into his stomach.

He winced in pain and released me. I turned around and was about to punch Envy in the face when he grabbed my hand and punched me in the face. I was knocked into a trashcan and my shirt sleeve was cut on a stray piece of glass. I pushed myself up and glared at Envy with pure hatred.

"How _dare_ you pretend to be my brother, you sick son of a bitch!" I growled at him. "I don't know what the hell you are, nor do I care… but for impersonating the one who's most important to me… I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!!"

I pulled a knife out of my belt and charged toward Envy. I was about to stab him when Ed jumped in between us and pushed me back.

"What do you think you're doing? This is my fight!" I yelled.

"Chris, just let him deal with this." Al said placing his hand on my shoulder, but I jerked away.

"Don't touch me!" I said angrily.

"Chris, these are my friends." Winry said. "They just want to help—"

"I never asked for their help! I can take care of myself!" Sango grabbed my arm as I was about to get back into the fight and I looked at her curiously. "Sango…?"

"Please, don't throw away everything you've worked for." She said. "Please, let's just let them help us."

"But Sango… this isn't like what we talked about—this is different! We can take care of ourselves without these people butting into our business."

"But Chris, these people can help us find it." Sango whispered in my ear. "Please, can't you trust someone other than yourself, just this once?"

I watched as Ed and Envy fought together and after a long time, I realized that Envy was gone and Ed was standing in front of me.

He placed his hand on my shoulder and said, "It's okay… I understand how you feel. If you don't want to trust my brother, that's fine. But I hope you can at least trust me."

"How the hell would you understand how I feel?!" I said.

"Because… I lost my arm too." He said, taking off his glove and showing me his hand. It was an automail arm that looked almost exactly like mine. I touched it and I knew that it was the same material. "I attempted a human transmutation, and ended up sacrificing my right arm."

I took off my own gloves and tore off the right sleeve of my long shirt, since it was already ripped, revealing my own automail arm.

"She has an automail arm too?!" Al exclaimed, clearly shocked.

"Alright… I trust you." I said softly. "I'll help you find the Stone, but only on one condition… you have to take me with you."


End file.
